Overview
- Los Angeles acquired Kessler in a sign-and-trade this offseason and signed him to a four-year, $130 million deal while sending two unprotected first-round picks and two first-round swap rights to Utah.
- Kessler missed nearly all of last season after labrum surgery and has played very little over the past 18 months so the Lakers limited his preseason minutes as he worked back to full game shape.
- Luka Dončić and coach JJ Redick say pick-and-roll chemistry with Kessler will improve with more reps and that the team plans a patient, big-picture approach to his development.
- Analysts note Kessler’s strong block rates in earlier seasons but question his durability and whether he can immediately match the league’s elite rim protectors, which will shape how far the team can go defensively.
- The trade reshaped the roster around Dončić and Austin Reaves and leaves the Lakers reliant on Kessler’s health and on-court fit to justify the lost draft capital and determine the team’s ceiling.